While Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports that the no-trade list was written into his original three-year contract and doesn’t change on an annual basis, Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journalreveals that the Yankees are not one of the teams on his list.

Here are some more interesting tidbits from Costa:

When K-Rod chose the teams, the person said, he did so based on which teams he wouldn’t want to play for, even if those teams would be unlikely to trade for him anyway. The list includes some small-market teams that would not be in the market for him, the person said, but it also includes a few that have expressed interest in trading for him recently.

This is actually a contrast with what we’ve seen with more recent no-trade lists, as players often include large-market teams for potential leverage. For example, Royals closer Joakim Soria has the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies on his six-team no-trade list.

Costa wrote earlier this afternoon that K-Rod’s new agent Scott Boras has “strongly indicated” that he will not accept a deal to a team on his no-trade list in order to be a set-up man, but there’s nothing contractual standing in the way of a potential match with the Yankees. A team that could need some help setting up Mariano Rivera, by the way. Joba Chamberlain underwent Tommy John surgery last month, Pedro Feliciano is currently shut down with a torn shoulder capsule and Rafael Soriano is rehabbing a sore right elbow.

It’s just smart business. If your a big-time player who will likely have a large salary then only the big market teams are likely to try and trade for you. Make those big market clubs your “no trade to” clubs and you lose nothing but gain all the leverage. I think there are still a number of people who jump to conclusions that the player hates a particular city if they put the city on their list. Other than someone like Zack Greinke who has insecurity issues and is afraid of the big city thing, it’s all leverage.

Costa isn’t saying that there isn’t a contractual issue for K-Rod… he’s saying there isn’t one for the Yankees if they should decide to trade for him. There wouldn’t be any say by him or the players union if it went through. If the Yankees trade for him, your damn right they don’t want that option to kick in!

He won’t finish any games unless Mo makes the like your proverbial snowflake… and therefore is a FA at the end of the year. With Joba out and Soriano (who they never should have signed in the first place) out, they could always use him, like lots of other teams could.

The Yankees do NOT need K-Rod. Robertson’s doing a great job as the 8th inning set up man for pennies on the dollar of what K-Rod would cost. What the Yankees do need is another lefty specialist and another lefty starter and K-Rod is neither of those. Brian just say no to K-Rod.